Bang Band SiXXX [Unlimited Bandwidth]

The place: Austin, Texas. The time: 2047. Enter a culture without hard copy, a society that has fused entertainment with real-time violence. One band dreams of achieving fame and riches. Bang Band SiXXX gives you a shocking glimpse of the future where everything is free – everything but love.

Born in the golden days of the space program, Melissa’s fascination with science and technology led her to pursue a degree in astronomy from the University of Texas – Austin, until, like Barbie, she discovered that math was hard. She went on to obtain degrees in music and journalism. Her freelance work has been published in the now-defunct cyberpunk magazine Mondo 2000, and she was a regular columnist for the Austin American Statesman for numerous years. Her love of edgy contemporary fiction inspired her to publish io Literary Culture, an endeavor jump-started with the help of fellow Mondo contributor Timothy Leary. Her own short stories have placed in the Austin Chronicle’s Annual Short Story Competition and received honorable mention from Glimmer Train Press. Bang Band SiXXX is her first novel.

Reviews

Review by:
graveallure
on Jan. 30, 2011 :
This e-book is without a doubt worth buying. I give the story 5 stars. When I found out about it, it was on the co-author's (Jon Crosby) website, and it was only available as a physical copy. I was definitely interested in buying the book but the price was a little too steep for me, though it was a limited hardcover edition. When I saw I now had the opportunity to read it, the fact that it was available here was like a gift from the authors and I thank them for it.

It's a tale that gives some insight into what it's like being in a band and there is an interesting dynamic between the members. It is set in a future where the explosion of a nuclear silo has changed the face of the Earth and the internet practically controls the souls of the majority of the remaining population. I can see the frustration behind the words, with the state of the music industry and how illegal downloading can diminish the value of an artist's work down to just about nothing. The gist of the story serves as a kind of warning to where we could be heading now as a society. About the only things this future sees as worth something are sex, porn, exploitaton, and murder. Snuff is legal. It's sad in so many ways.

I would have liked to have had a hardcopy on my bookshelf (I'm old fashioned that way) to add to my collection of favorite stories to reflect back on. Maybe someday it will be re-released and accessible in bookstores. It sure is good enough to be.
(reviewed long after purchase)